I was one of the few people lucky enough to catch the East Coast premiere of Abigail Before Beatrice at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest. This southern cult horror moment gives us a lot to talk about, and I decided to go right to the cool filmmaker herself. I caught up with Cassie Keet to talk about her new film, cults, and getting the perfect take even when the bowling alley has been overrun by small children. Read on for our spoiler-free discussion to help you prepare for this devastatingly sad film.

An Interview with Filmmaker Cassie Keet on Her Movie Abigail Before Beatrice

Horror Press: So, this is your second feature with cults being part of the problem. While Abigail Before Beatrice has a much different vibe than Scream Therapy, it’s safe to say you have thoughts about cults and cult mentality. What is it about the world of cults that draws you in as a filmmaker?

Cassie Keet: I’ve always been curious and sympathetic to people who are drawn into cults. They’re looking for something that’s missing in their life (Abigail Before Beatrice), or they’re born into a system that’s already been put into place for them (Scream Therapy). I’ve always found the members of the cult more interesting than the cult itself or even the leader. Who are these people? Who did they used to be? I know how easy it is to wake up one day and realize, “Oh shit, is this relationship toxic?” The catch is, sometimes that wakeup call doesn’t happen until years later. I think part of my sympathy for people in cults is a way of giving myself and the past relationships I participated in a little bit of grace.

HP: I think people are not as aware of how easily they can exhibit cult-like behavior. Trying to fit in is a slippery slope to becoming part of a pack and not thinking for yourself. However, people tend to look down on people in cults without looking at their own actions and realizing they are not so different. Why do you think there is this reflex to judge people who join cults instead of empathizing with whatever reasons made them feel like a cult was the only place they could find community? 

CK: I think people want to believe that they’re different and would never “fall for” something like that. But there are cults everywhere. Cults of personality (looking at you, shitty YouTube manosphere dudes), MLMs (looking at you, girls I went to middle school with), cults of religion (looking at you, every religion). These are ways of thinking that are being weaponized against people by people acting in bad faith, who are the ones who are benefiting the most from your participation. I don’t want to sound callous – I love myself a fun YouTube or TikTok series. I tried to sell makeup in my early 20s, and I’m still a practicing reformed Methodist. It’s about how these things are used.

It’s easy to look at someone who has slipped down a slope and want to congratulate yourself for wearing the right shoes. But no one is “too smart” to be influenced by something that speaks directly to them on a deep, personal level. We’re all looking for something. Sometimes we find it in the wrong place.

HP: It’s hard to not love Beatrice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) in the first act. Then we get to start to get a fuller picture and discover she’s not quite who we thought she was. In your Q&A, you mentioned that you wanted to highlight that even logical people can find themselves in a cult. Can you discuss what went into crafting this character, whom we empathize with even when we are not on board with her thought process?

CK: I wrote Beatrice with the intention of challenging myself as a writer while also exploring some of my own past experiences. I wanted to approach some painful topics that were close to me from a compassionate, if somewhat ambivalent, lens. Beatrice is who she is. I recognize myself in her, and I recognize so many others who have experienced toxic or traumatic relationships. She’s a deeply flawed human because humans are deeply flawed. There’s the joke “I support women’s rights, and women’s wrongs,” and honestly, that applies to Beatrice. Well, maybe not all of her wrongs.

HP: One of the things I like about Abigail Before Beatrice is that it specifically explores how gender plays into cults. Grayson (Shayn Herndon) is clearly a predator, and these women put up with these abuses and his lies, in some small part, because society conditions women to put up with toxic male behaviors. Because there are so many cults getting documentaries or living in our collective consciousness, is Grayson based on someone(s) specifically?

CK: Grayson is a mixture of some cult leaders (Manson, Koresh, Jones), but mostly he was a personal creation. VERY personal. I asked myself, “Who is the type of guy that you would leave your life behind for?” Grayson was my answer. He approaches with a soft hand and a charming smile, tells you you’re special and that you belong somewhere special, and then whisks you away with a romantic kiss. After watching the scene where Grayson meets and seduces Beatrice, several people have said that they would have been tempted to go to the farm with him if he’d done the same. I know I would have. 

HP: I think one of the saddest things about Beatrice is that she is clearly capable of living a full life outside of this cult. Yet, she can’t see that, so she mourns the sisterhood, abuse, and routine. As someone who went to grad school for theatre, I find that depressingly relatable and sad. However, many people have a hard time seeing themselves as competent individuals who deserve more. How many of our friends continue to settle in their relationships, jobs, etc.? Why do you think so many of us prefer the devil we know rather than seeing what else is out there?

CK: There’s a term called ‘familiar suffering.’ We choose the pain we’ve experienced in the past or are currently experiencing, because it’s a known quantity. We fear the unknown and the possibility that it contains worse suffering, so we stay where we are. It’s a coping mechanism. It’s built into our brains as a survival technique, even though it lessens our quality of life and leads to self-sabotage. You have to willingly break yourself out of it, but damn it’s hard. Combine that with an abusive environment or relationship that tells you what you have is the best you’ll ever get and that you’ll fail within a world that’s different, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

HP: Because everyone handles trauma differently, I love that Abigail (Riley Dandy) and Beatrice have two completely different journeys with the aftermath of their stint in a cult. Was there a draft where we got more time with the two of them? Or was the vision always to focus on Beatrice?

CK: When I was first conceptualizing the story, I originally wanted to split the narrative between the two of them to show them both in the present. The scene where they reunited at the coffee shop was the first scene I wrote. However, the more I wrote about Beatrice, the more I wanted to explore the specific story of someone who can’t move on because they can’t let go. If I had a million dollars, I would make mini-movies about all of the cult girls and their lives before and after. I just find it so fascinating.

HP: You have so many stories from filming this movie in intense heat and battling wildlife in Arkansas. I have been lucky to hear a few stories, but what is the one you find the funniest and can share with our readers at Horror Press?

CK: Oh god, there are so many. Every day was a hot, sweaty adventure. I will say that the day we filmed at the bowling alley was insane. They let us rent three lanes for free a month before shooting, mentioning off-handedly that they had rented out a few other lanes. When we started setting up our lights and gear, SEVERAL BUSSES OF CHILDREN arrived. Apparently, every other lane had been rented out to day camps. It was the loudest day of my life. Hundreds of screaming children ages 6-11 are sprinting around like maniacs.

Our amazing grip team built a privacy wall for the actors (and for sound, god bless), but at one point, some kid did the inchworm past it. The entire cast and crew stared at him. It felt like a mass hallucination. But, fun fact: we were able to get the shot of Will (Jordan Lane Shappell) bowling a strike and Beatrice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) hitting one pin in just one perfect take. When I called cut, we screamed louder than all of the kids!

HP: What is one thing you have been dying to talk about regarding this movie (non-spoilers obviously) and haven’t been able to?

CK: Olivia’s performance. Every single performance is incredible, but oh holy shit, Olivia just knocks it out of the park. I spent half of filming either staring in shock at the monitor or openly weeping between takes. She’s just beyond amazing. I am so in love with our cast – especially my supporting leads Riley Dandy, Shayn Herndon, Jordan Lane Shappell, and Molly Jackson. I couldn’t have made this movie without this cast. 

HP: What are you working on next after you finish your festival run with Abigail Before Beatrice?

CK: I’ve got a couple of things in development right now, which is super exciting! A script I wrote in 2024, right before we went into production for ABB, made the Black List, so that’s with two production companies right now. Fingers crossed!

HP: What social media apps can people find you on, if you want your fans to find you?

CK: Find me on Insta! @kissmycassiek

Abigail Before Beatrice, is still touring festivals. Keep your eyes out for more updates and make sure you follow Cassie Keet to stay in the loop.

Brooklyn Horror Film Fest kicked off its 10th year with a screening of the highly anticipated Queens of the Dead. This sparkly and zombie-fied night was presented by Horror Press and set the tone for at least two after parties. As a good queen does.

Before the movie began, director and co-writer, Tina Romero, took the stage to share that she is “very proud to be my dad’s kid, and proud to carry his torch, and super super proud to do it in a way that shows queer joy and queer resilience.” After watching the film, it’s clear Romero meant business as she expanded on the zombie world built by her dad, the genre icon George A. Romero.

A Scrumptious Evening

The opening night film was also unforgettable because it was followed by a Q&A afterward moderated by New York’s baddest emcee, Xero Gravity. Tina Thee Romero took the stage with cast members Samora la Perdida, Julie J., Tomas Matos, and Nina West. They kept the vibe fun but also addressed why this movie is especially important in dire times like these.

Nina West said, “I’m really proud that this movie is coming out specifically right now.” West explained, “We talked about how important this film is right now. How queer people, I think, are going to have the opportunity to grab onto it and hopefully feel a sense of community, a sense of self, and a reminder of how vital it is to have chosen family and the ability to have space. Watching it tonight with an audience, that’s what I’m reminded of.”

The Romero Legacy is Very Much Alive and Well

Gravity opened the talk by addressing Romero’s dad’s work, “So, Tina, your father’s legacy is invaluable to the horror community, especially the horror community of marginalized people. When I look into the audience, I see a bunch of queer people, a bunch of different skin tones, I see people with disabilities, and for that, I know we all appreciate George A. Romero’s legacy in terms of allyship.”

When the applause died down, she asked Romero what Queens of the Dead has to say about our current state in society. Romero said she felt incredibly grateful that Shudder and IFC Films are putting this movie out in 2025.

Romero elaborated, “It’s not easy to get a little indie movie out into the world. It’s so important that it’s coming out this year because what a year we have had. Holy shit.” 

Romero continued, “It feels so good to have a big queer movie coming out in a time when our community is feeling really under the threat of erasure and under attack. I feel like what our movie says is we are here and we are wonderful, come along for the ride. I really hope that this movie brings a little bit of empathy. A little bit of ‘I can’t help but laugh at and love these characters.” 

Romero concluded, “I really love my father.  I love the films he made. It was very important to me to make sure his legacy continued in a way that said some shit and with queerness on screen.” 

A Night of Glitter and Gore

During the talk back, Romero shared a lot of cool facts. One being that her and co-writer Erin Judge worked on this film for ten years. She also shared that Dawn of the Dead is her favorite movie in her dad’s franchise when Gravity pointed out a couple of nods to the movie in Queens of the Dead.

The Q&A went by entirely too quickly as the audience fell in love with this amazing crew. However, the love and community spilled into the bar area afterward. People were given the opportunity to thank everyone for their work and tell them they loved the film. People were offered penis-shaped cakes, which is a fun gag from the film. Attendees were also given a chance to get a little bloody at the hands of local makeup artist Dime. They applied bite marks and blood to everyone who wanted to feel like they were a part of the hottest zombie movie of the year. 

It was another scrumptious evening in Brooklyn. It also left many of the audience with an axe wound right in the heart. I’m excited to see how Brooklyn Film Fest follows this movie, and I will be in the bar area this weekend, waiting to see. 

Queens of the Dead will slay in theaters on October 24.